Christmas in July: Part Four

Adam here…

Part Two. I always have fun pulling these together. I love to gift, and this batch has a little more range than the last — some functional, some just beautiful, a couple that don’t exist to buy at all.

Are you familiar with Nik Gelormino’s work? You should be. I came across him during an intense period where I convinced myself I would enjoy spending an artist residency at Salmon Creek Arts (despite all evidence to the contrary).

Salmon Creek Farm is a 33 acre sanctuary of precious riparian and coastal redwood forest habitat, on Central Pomo land. In 1971, a commune was established during turbulent times by a group of young visionaries seeking less extractive and more intentional ways of living in what came to be known as Albion Nation. Now in the hands of the 501c3 Salmon Creek Arts, we imagine this sanctuary serving as a pocket of light, where you might “journey to refuel for what it is we need to do on the planet.” There is the possibility for both deep solitude - in private handcrafted iconic cozy cabins nestled among the coastal redwoods - and sociability with others sharing the land, and our wider community on California’s stunning Mendocino Coast.

Give yourself five minutes to click through the cabins on their site as well as their Instagram and tell me if you too don’t at least consider taking a glance at the application.

Back to Nik. While doing my deep dive on the camp, I came across his work. You MUST look at this door he made. Not exactly a Christmas gift (or is it?) but unbelievable artistry. He makes these equally exquisite carved boxes. An heirloom for keepsakes. Fill it with collected love notes, precious items or memories shared with a lost loved one, or something more functional like essential oils. Or leave it empty and put a simple notecard inside — “For our memories, past and present.”

Email him: ngelormino@gmail.com.

The World of Interiors is the one subscription, in my opinion, with the most mileage when it comes to gifting. Timeless and interesting. I also think giving a subscription to young lovers of design goes a long way in making them feel big and that their interest is taken seriously.

I have not stopped thinking about Napkin Apocalypse since this story on their garbage man. The sweetest. Worth studying their halloween costumes while you are there. They sell (cool) merch, and you should support them. I like the Trashboy hat that comes in kid and adult sizes but am particularly fond of the “GEMINA THE CROOKED NECKED GIRAFFE TEE.”

For a discerning minimalist, I wouldn’t blink twice to order this spiral floral clip. A single stem on a nightstand. Sculptural art that could act as a paperweight when not in use. I have a knack for finding things which are not for sale — this might be a dead end. The entire site is in Japanese but I found the email for you — contact@azmaya.co.jp.

I think one of the best gifts money could buy is a matching set of glass hurricanes with several packs of replacement candles.

I don’t love to give coffee table books for Christmas, but if I did give one, it would be The Maine House. Both the first and second are good, but we both prefer the first. It’s the exact kind of book you want to sit with on Christmas afternoon. If you value old quirk, you should have this in your library.

If I had to choose one single category of item to gift (and to receive) every year, I would choose pottery. It requires knowing someone less than, say, art without sacrificing specialness. Right now, I’m into the soda-fired pottery from Clam Lab. She just did a summer drop — just in time for this series. If you insist I pick for you, order the yellow ash berry bowl and this dark copper crystal vase.

Pro tip: when picking out pottery, consider what will go in it. It’s about the combination, not just the vessel. I would not pick the dark copper vase if I was solely picking on what I like the look of, but the way it would hold vibrant dahlias pushes me to checkout.

If you do give art, try Claudia Keep, Chad Etting, Frankie Gardiner, and Hugo Guinness. My favorites of theirs are above. These are all safe bets for finding smaller (I would always err on the smaller side when gifting art), special pieces. I don’t mean safe in a way that implies these artists are doing mass-market, derivative work. To the contrary, I don’t think that at all. They are just doing art in a quality, fun way that I believe would appeal to a wider audience.

I live in these shorts over the summer. From heritage tennis brand Boast, the shorts have built-in briefs that feel ultra-lightweight and comfortable. The leaf is a Canadian maple but people will constantly think you are advertising marijuana. It’s something you have to move past.

If you enjoy psychology and getting in other people’s heads, two games worth gifting are Priorities and Codenames. Codenames is an all-time favorite.

I mentioned author Catherine Newman’s gift guides here. A screenshot pulled from one of her guides, Newman gave this airbrushed t-shirt to Samantha Irby. If you don’t take yourself too seriously, it would be fun to do this for every single person at a holiday gathering and take a group picture in your shirts.

For the control freak in your life, how about this smartphone label maker? It’s low-profile and has great reviews.

Personalized gifts (sewn, embossed, engraved, etc.) are go-to’s for me.

Socks from Eva Joan. You could even go with a simple motif (star, heart, clover, middle finger).

Or some special socks embroidered with hand-writing by Cressida Jamieson.

Customize a small cooler. I recommend perusing Molly Young’s license plate posts (1, 2, and 3) for ideas.

Chelsea Handegan put us on to these name patches. I like the names but think there are other, more creative words too.

I mentioned the combs from France here and think they also make great standalone gifts when accompanied with a hand-written note.

Hope Benson’s Custom Rocks have been on my gift list since I saw WKP Builders use one in their new office. Would make a great door stop. Pieces like this that make people stop and notice are always winners.

The way Anya Hindmarch uses real hand-writing for personalization feels next-level. The passport case would be a good foray into this world. I first discovered the brand through Caitlin Fisher when she shared a pouch with “I love you” written by each of her kids. Again, an heirloom piece. Gifting at its finest.

The final installment of Christmas in July will be everything I personally want for Christmas. Prepare to judge. Next Wednesday.